A Perspective on Graduate School Tsu-Jae King EECS Department, UC Berkeley

Why Graduate School? An advanced degree can lead to a more desirable engineering position –specialization in area of interest A Ph.D. is generally required for –R&D positions, high-level technical positions in industry –leadership or advisory positions outside of industry (e.g. government) –university faculty

MS or PhD? MS Degree –Emphasis is on coursework –1-2 years PhD Degree –Emphasis is on research –4-6 years (usually includes MS)  self-motivation/drive needed to succeed!

Prepare in Advance Coursework –Selection is important –~3.7/4.0 GPA is cut-off for top-tier schools Research –Plan ahead (courses, independent reading) –Dedicate significant effort (>10hr/wk) Internships –Can provide useful experience & perspective

The Application Process Tests (GRE, TOEFL, etc.) –Quantitative & Analytical test scores should be good (>90 th percentile) –Verbal test scores should be adequate Recommendation letters –Faculty references carry more weight Statement of purpose –should be coherent Other relevant information to include

Make Yourself Stand Out Contact professors for whom you’d like to work in graduate school Get meaningful research experience  publications and/or patents  Do research for a professor at a school where you’d like to go for graduate study Secure a scholarship/fellowship –NSF, Hertz, NDSEG, DOE, …

The Admissions Process Applications are reviewed by faculty in your stated primary area of interest Competition is against other applicants, for a limited number of slots –This year, less than 7% of applicants were admitted into UCB EECS graduate program All admission decisions are made by committee

How to Decide? Visit the candidate schools –Talk to professors and graduate students Consider the reputation of the program and the faculty –Leadership and vision for cutting-edge research is important for PhD education Clarify details of financial aid offers (TA, research assistant, fellowship)

Historical Admission Trends Electrical Engineering 1341

Enrollment Statistics # PhD’s AWARDED ENROLLMENT

Time to PhD Degree MEDIAN # OF SEMESTERS IN PhD PROGRAM CURRENT STUDENTS